Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Molpet]

Bantams don't have much meat.

More than quail

 

[HiEverybirdy]

Wow, good thinking, and good save! Do you think the bears knew you were there before the frantic can shaking? Great story - happy endings of relief are best!

stunning photos and wonderful story @HiEverybirdy !
Do you really think a bear could catch one of your chickens?

Thank you! I do think the bears knew where I was, where our dogs were (sleeping in the house), and that if they stayed still long enough, dinner would come to them. I think wildlife is extra wary when they're in the open. I've only accidentally snuck up on bears in woods or brush, when they have enough upper hand to afford less vigilance.

Bears can be shockingly fast. As fast as chickens are, a bear might win with the element of surprise. We've watched bobcats grab rabbits by staying frozen until the rabbit gets close. Watching predators work is chilling.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

Wow, what an event and great storytelling!
Do enter it if there is a contest in poultry storytelling again!

Thank you! Ha, poultry storytelling would be a fun event.

 

[MrsNorthie]

You don't have to reverse. There are still a lot of heritage breeds that don’t lay an extreme amount of eggs in the first 2 years.
Some BYC keepers have several generations of mixes that get old.

I cant tell if the normal live spans of all heritage breeds are all over 8 years. But my tiny Dutch (not standard show quality) are an example of chickens that live longer without health problems and still lay (long winter break) being 9 and 10 years old.

I know they have been trying to bring back almost extinct heritage breeds with mixing in other breeds (selecting on the looks). They are not selected on longevity for sure.

There was an inquiry by levende have and the Louis bolk institute about the oldest chickens. I posted /translated some of it in a thread of Perris about a year ago.

Ours do not take a real break during the winter, maybe because of the mild weather? :-(

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Where is she?

She was at the vets.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Not with Lucy in sky for sure.
In strawberry fields maybe?
Or a in a dancing doing a golden brown walz?

Please keep us updated Ladies8.

I picked her up yesterday evening and she is fine.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

I hope that she is OK! Poor baby!

She is fine and back home with us.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

I picked her up yesterday evening and she is fine.

Glad she's alright!

 

[HiEverybirdy]

I've been using the phone camera recently and getting similar picture quality but like the camera it all goes wrong in low light.
View attachment 3849769

Phone-camera flashes are usually bad (and kind of rude), but you could try a few hacks for less blur:

• Take a deep breath and blow it out as you snap the shot and/or prop the camera against something to steady it.
• Shine a little flashlight or solar lantern somewhere in the coop to speed up the phone's shutter speed.
• Take a short video and screenshot a still of it.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Glad she's alright!

Thanks.